Politics is now clearly entering a new, more volatile formation, marked by the anarchic dissemination of information, a truly global networking potential, and the emergence of unexpected allegiances. There is no self-evident common denominator in this eruption of political activity, except in the sense that unconstrained creative impulses have challenged the structures of traditional control. In Telos 169, we explore this return of politics in some of its crucial current contests as well as in the history of theorizing political aspirations.

In ways not seen since the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century, America is becoming a nation of increasingly sharply divided classes. Joel Kotkin’s The New Class Conflict shows how the rise of a high-tech oligarchy, along with academia, the media, and the government bureaucracy, is creating a new class order, largely at the expense of the middle class.

Matthias Küntzel’s Germany and Iran examines the history of the special relationship between Germany and the Islamic Republic of Iran, from its origins at the start of the last century to the ongoing controversy over Iran’s nuclear program. Drawing on new archival findings from Washington, DC, and Berlin, Küntzel traces the underpinnings of that relationship, which has survived every war, catastrophe, and revolution.

Ernst Jünger’s The Forest Passage explores the possibility of resistance: how the independent thinker can withstand and oppose the power of the omnipresent state. No matter how extensive the technologies of surveillance become, the forest can shelter the rebel, and the rebel can strike back against tyranny. Jünger’s manifesto is a defense of freedom against the pressure to conform to political manipulation and artificial consensus.

In an incisive and thoughtful review essay in Quadrant (March 2015), Peter Murphy examines Joel Kotkin's The New Class Conflict and the prognosis for America in the "post-creative economy." Read the full essay (subscription required) at Quadrant Online. Purchase your copy of The New Class Conflict in our online store.
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In November 1939, gangs of German civilians and Nazi operatives stormed Jewish stores, synagogues, and homes, killing or arresting those who could not escape. The Nazi leadership had carefully planned the assault—Kristallnacht would become only one among many instances of unimaginable horror. In the coming years, the Nazis proceeded to murder thousands of disabled Germans; when Germany invaded Russia, groups<><> . . . (continue reading)

Here are just a few of the photos we took at last weekend's Telos Conference in New York City. By all accounts the conference was a tremendous success, filled with lively conversation, thoughtful debate, delicious food, and our usual dose of February snow. We will be posting more media and writing from the conference shortly, so stay tuned!
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From the Publisher's Desk

Telos has always celebrated rejuvenation and renewal, and in recent years we’ve embraced that change in a variety of ways. We’ve taken Telos online and digitized our full forty-four year archive, allowing institutional subscribers from around the world to access the journal over the Internet. We’ve created a regular conference series in New York City and another more recently in Europe, which have brought together an increasing number of scholars to discuss today’s critical issues in politics and philosophy . . . (continue reading)

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